| Neches River Río de las Neches | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Neches River, looking into the Big Thicket National Preserve from Orange County, Texas, USA (October 2016) | |
 Map of the Neches River and associated watershed | |
| Native name | Nachawi (Caddo) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | East ofColfax, Texas[1] |
| • coordinates | 32°30′N95°45′W / 32.500°N 95.750°W /32.500; -95.750[1] |
| Mouth | |
• location | Sabine Lake[1] |
• coordinates | 29°58′08″N93°51′21″W / 29.96889°N 93.85583°W /29.96889; -93.85583 |
| Length | 416 mi (669 km)[1] |
| Basin size | 10,011 sq mi (25,930 km2)[1] |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Flat Creek Village Creek Pine Island Bayou[1] |
| • right | Bayou La Nana Ayish Bayou Angelina River[1] |
| Waterbodies | Rhine Lake Lake Palestine Steinhagen Reservoir[1] |
TheNeches River (/ˈneɪtʃɪz/) begins inVan Zandt County west of Rhine Lake[2] and flows for 416 miles (669 km) through thepiney woods of eastTexas, defining the boundaries of 14 counties on its way to its mouth onSabine Lake near theRainbow Bridge. Two major reservoirs,Lake Palestine andB. A. Steinhagen Reservoir are located on the Neches. TheAngelina River (containingSam Rayburn Reservoir) is a major tributary with its confluence at the north of Lake B. A. Steinhagen. Tributaries to the south includeVillage Creek andPine Island Bayou, draining much of theBig Thicket region, both joining the Neches a few miles north ofBeaumont. Towns and cities located along the river includingTyler,Lufkin, andSilsbee, although significant portions of the Neches River are undeveloped and flow through protected natural lands.[3] In contrast, the lower 40 miles of the river are a major shipping channel, highly industrialized, with a number of cities and towns concentrated in the area includingBeaumont,Vidor,Port Neches,Nederland,Groves, andPort Arthur.
It is believed that the name of the river was derived from theCaddo word "Nachawi", meaning "wood of the bow", after Spanish settlers called itRío Neches.[4]
With the exception of dams and manmade lakes, much of the river is in a natural state. Approximately 11 miles of the upper Neches flows through theNeches River National Wildlife Refuge, established to protect the biologically diverse bottomland hardwood forest and habitat formigratory birds, and opened to the public as recently as 2019.[5] Downstream, the river delineates the eastern border ofDavy Crockett National Forest including more than nine miles of theBig Slough Wilderness Area of the National Forest.[6] Further downstream the Neches defines much of the southern border ofAngelina National Forest including roughly four miles of theUpland Island and Longleaf Pine Wilderness Area of Angelina National Forest.[6] The Angelina Neches/Dam B Wildlife Management Area is situated at the confluence of the Neches and Angelina Rivers protecting 12,636 acres of the river's floodplain and bottomland, administered by theTexas Parks and Wildlife Department along with the adjacentMartin Dies Jr. State Park on the eastern side of Lake B. A. Steinhagen.[7] South of the Lake, beginning at Town Bluff Dam and running 56 miles south to Beaumont, is the Neches River Corridor Unit of theBig Thicket National Preserve, administered by theNational Park Service. The Big Thicket National Preserve is recognized as abiosphere reserve byUNESCO, preserving an area where severalecosystems converge. The Big Thicket Visitor Center is offU.S. Highway 69 several miles north ofKountze, Texas.
Beginning in 2006, theUnited States Fish and Wildlife Service purchased land along the Neches River for the creation of theNeches River National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge includes land on which the city ofDallas had proposed to build areservoir to meet the water needs of the city and its surroundingsuburbs. Tentatively named Lake Fastrill, this reservoir was not scheduled to be built until 2050. The city of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board filed a lawsuit in 2007 against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, claiming the wildlife refuge was established without considering the economic and environmental impacts. However, in February 2010 theUnited States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, paving the way for the acquisition of lands for the wildlife refuge.
TheLower Neches Valley Authority is the river authority which oversees the Neches River inTyler,Hardin,Liberty,Chambers, andJefferson counties of Texas.
The lower forty miles of the river is industrialized, from theBeaumontInterstate 10 bridge to Sabine Lake. The river is maintained as a deep water ship channel running between thePort of Beaumont toSabine Lake. Currently 40 feet deep and 400 ft wide, the river is being deepened to 48 feet. The total estimated cost of theSabine-Neches Waterway project is $1.1 billion.[8]
Several petro-chemical plants are located in the river's southern section. TheSabine-Neches Navigation District, formed in 1909, has management responsibilities of the portion of the river which is part of the Sabine-Neches Waterway.[9]
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| International | |
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| National | |
